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There's a gripping story at the heart of Child 44 and a solid performance from Tom Hardy in the lead, but it all still adds up to a would-be thriller that lacks sufficient thrills. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
In 1950s Soviet Russia, secret police agent Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) loses everything when he refuses to denounce his wife, Raisa (Noomi Rapace) as a traitor. Finding themselves exiled to a grim provincial outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with Gen. Mikhail Nesterov (Gary Oldman) to capture a serial killer who preys on young boys. They soon find that their investigation threatens a system-wide cover-up enforced by Vasili (Joel Kinnaman), Leo's psychopathic rival.
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Rating: R (Language|A Scene of Sexuality|Some Disturbing Images|Violence)
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Genre: Mystery & thriller
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Original Language: English
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Director: Daniel Espinosa
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Producer: Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer, Greg Shapiro
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Writer: Richard Price
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $1.2M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Lionsgate Films
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Production Co: Scott Free Productions
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Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Cast & Crew
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Critic Reviews for Child 44
Audience Reviews for Child 44
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Tom Hardy is in fine form and the film has atmosphere, but the pacing is slow and the subplots outshine the central story. The villains are plentiful and they take away from the central villain who is murdering all the children. The filmmakers should have focused on the core story and abandoned some of the subplots that consume the running time. There was a better film here and if you believe the backstory of the extra long running time, you might assume a directors version could be out there. The film that was released was quite flawed and never attempts to answer the questions we have. I liked the acting and the overall story, but as a serial killer movie, this fails miserably. 26/12/2018.
brendan n Super Reviewer -
Such a prolific tale and one of my favorite books, but in this case it didn't transfer to film well. I think there was good performances by the actors and it had good cinematography, it lacks in the screenplay story. I think a lot more could have been done to have this be an eye opening top notch thriller, as it stands it is a long drawn out cat and mouse tale.
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Great cast and idea ruined by an overblown screenplay and terrible lighting.
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Ambitious, but utterly effective and insightful, Child 44 is a slow-burn thriller that serves as an equally effective historical piece. Set in post-world War II Soviet Russia and based on the novel of the same name, Child 44 follows the exploits of a mid-level Soviet secret police agent, Leo Demidov, who finds himself mired in two controversies-one involving the suspected treason by his wife, and the other regarding a string of child murders the State refuses to acknowledge for, as Stalin would say, "There are no murders in paradise". Of all the things Child 44 does right, I found the greatest to be the accurate and devastating picture it painted of Stalin-era Soviet Russia. It was a brutal time, a time of poverty, paranoia, secrecy, and self-delusion. Stalin was a monster, and his regime monstrous. For what are likely a number of reasons, Hollywood has shied away from depicting its injustices. Child 44, however, captured all of this, and did so with skillful nuance and through the eyes of one of the regime's brighter men-who must contend with his own better judgement every day. This historical backdrop amplified the other plots at hand, and makes for enthralling viewing. The direction is methodical and does a strong job with pacing what is otherwise a very large plot, a plot that encompasses a litany of subplots and inter-character dynamics. What perhaps anchor this the most are the performances, with a masterful cast. For his part, Tom Hardy stole the show, inhibiting every scene with an undeniable presence. This, combined with sharp cinematography, make for a film that is compelling from start to finish. Is the film perfect? No, it can rightfully be described as "overstuffed" and a bit bloated with its running time. There are moments, to be sure, when one thinks-I bet this worked better as a novel. There were a couple of points where the film could've ended, but didn't-and that is to its detriment. With that granted, I still felt it did quite a strong job staying coherent and indeed, poignant, despite a hefty script. Excellent. 4/5 Stars
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